Method and apparatus for handling pipe

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method for handling pipe includes an elongate frame structure for mounting on a ground surface, in which a carriage unit is mounted on the frame structure and is operable for selective and reciprocal shifting along the frame structure. A boom member mounted on the carriage unit is operable for selected pivotal movement relative to the carriage unit, and a plane generally parallel to the boom member&#39;s longitudinal axis, about a generally horizontal pivot axis oriented transverse to the direction of shifting of the carriage unit along the frame structure. An elongate pipe carrier mounted on the boom member as dimensioned for receiving pipe so that the pipe&#39;s longitudinal axis is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the boom member and the pipe member, wherein the pipe carrier is operable for selective pivotal movement about its longitudinal axis.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/449,978, filed Jun. 9, 2006 and entitled “Method and Apparatus forHandling Pipe,” the entire disclosure of which is herein incorporated byreference for all purposes.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a novel method and apparatus forhandling pipe, and in particular, presenting drill pipe to drillingrigs, where the pipe may range up to about 30-40 feet in length, havediameters in the range of 3 inches and above, and weigh in theneighborhood of 500 pounds or more. The method and apparatus of thepresent invention could also be used for larger or smaller pipe, and thedesign of the essential components of the present invention readilyenables that. For purposes of the description, and in the drawingfigures which follow, the method and apparatus will be described withrespect to handling pipe in the size and weight range as mentionedabove.

There are numerous proposals in the prior art for handling pipe, but thepresent invention provides a simple, effective construction which isbelieved to be significantly advantageous. In its most essential form,the present invention includes an apparatus for handling pipe whichincludes only minimal moving parts, and the components are arranged forefficient operation; in particular, the present invention may be thoughtof as having a minimal number of essential components. The first is anelongate frame along which a power-driven carriage can reciprocallytranslate. Mounted on the carriage is a boom, connected to the carriageby a boom mount which is a pivot assembly. The boom is pivotal about apivot axis defined by the pivot assembly, and the boom is positionableon the pivot assembly so that the boom will pivot at a selected positionalong its longitudinal axis.

This construction enables the boom to be pivoted to different heights,depending upon its mounting on the pivot assembly, in other words, theboom is pivoted relative to the carriage at a selected position alongthe boom's length. The boom carries a pipe carrier which may be rotatedalong a longitudinal axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the boom.Rigidly mounted elevator arms are connected to the pipe carrier forpicking off pipe from a pipe rack or the like, and placing the pipe inthe pipe carrier. The power-driven carriage may be advanced and the boompivoted about the pivot axis to lower the rear of the boom andconsequently raise its front end, and the front end of the pipe carrierto present a pipe to the floor of a drill rig.

While the above has been generally described, further more specificdetails of the present invention will be understood from a considerationof the brief description of the drawings and the detailed description ofthe preferred embodiment which follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a frontal view, taken slightly from above and looking towardthe rear of the pipe handling apparatus and illustrates the pipe carrierin its neutral position;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view taken slightly to one side, showing thepipe carrier being tilted, relative to the boom of the apparatus, priorto picking up of pipe from a pipe rack;

FIG. 2A is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the pipe carrier fullytilted prior to picking up pipe from a pipe rack;

FIG. 3 is a view, taken in perspective, showing the principal componentsof the pipe handling apparatus arranged for delivery of pipe in the lowconfiguration cycle; the boom is retracted within the sleeve of thepivot assembly and pipe has been received on the pipe carrier from apipe rack, and the pipe carrier is in position to deliver the loadedpipe to a drill rig having a low configuration;

FIG. 3A is a side elevation view of the pipe handling apparatus shown inthe configuration of FIG. 3;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing the carriage advanced topresent the front end of both the pipe carrier and the pipe to the drillrig;

FIG. 4A is a side elevation view of the pipe handling apparatus and theconfiguration shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the pipe handling apparatus shown withthe boom extended toward the front, relative to the carriage, with thepipe carrier oriented in its neutral position prior to delivering theloaded pipe to a drill rig having a high configuration;

FIG. 5A is a side elevation view of the apparatus shown in theconfiguration of FIG. 5;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 illustrating the carriage having beenadvanced while the rear end of the boom is pivoted downwardly about itsconnection to the carriage to elevate both the front end of the boom andpipe carrier to present the pipe to the drill rig, in this case a drillrig having an elevated drill floor in the high configuration;

FIG. 6A is a side elevation view of the apparatus shown in theconfiguration of FIG. 6;

FIG. 7 is a close-up side view of the pivot assembly mounted on thecarriage, with the boom retracted along its length and mounted to thepivot assembly so that it will pivot about a pivot axis near the frontof the boom, for operation in a low configuration cycle;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view, taken in perspective near the front of thepipe handling apparatus showing the arrangement for operation in the lowconfiguration cycle, with the pipe carrier in its neutral position;

FIG. 9 is a view showing the pipe carrier in its neutral position withthe boom shifted forwardly for mounting on the carriage so that the boompivots about a pivot axis near the end of the boom for operation in thehigh configuration cycle;

FIG. 10 is a view taken from the rear of the pipe handling apparatusillustrating operation of the elevator actuator to rotate the pipecarrier so that the elevator arms are positioned for receiving pipe tobe loaded onto the pipe carrier from an adjacent pipe rack;

FIG. 11 shows a worker rolling pipe from the pipe rack onto interfacearms adjacent the pipe carrier which has been rotated for receivingpipe;

FIG. 12 is a view taken from the front of the pipe handling apparatus,showing the rotated pipe carrier with the elevator arms in position forreceiving pipe from the pipe carrier;

FIG. 13 is a view, taken in perspective from adjacent the front of themachine, showing pipe being engaged by an upper surface of the elevatorarms prior to upward 20 rotation of the pipe carrier;

FIG. 14 is a view from the rear of the pipe apparatus showing furtherrotation of the pipe carrier with pipe supported on the elevator armswith the pipe now being lifted away from the interface arms;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the pipe having rolled down theupper 5 surfaces of the elevator arms for positioning in the centralportion of the pipe carrier, now in its neutral position; and

FIG. 16 shows pipe being transferred to the opposite side of theapparatus, when the pipe carrier is rotated in the opposite direction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for handlingpipe so that pipe can be picked up from a pipe rack and presented todrill rigs having drill floors at different elevations, i.e., fromground level upwards of 15 feet. It is advantageous to have an apparatuswhich can be readily adjusted in the field to handle pipe for deliveryto and removal from drilling rigs having drill floors which are atdifferent elevations. In addition it may be necessary to move a pipehandling apparatus to different, and a relatively small, adjustableapparatus which is simple in operation will prove advantageous. Whilethe configuration of the pipe handling apparatus of the presentinvention could be increased in size to reach the floors of drill rigsof even greater heights than 15 feet or so, the apparatus of the presentinvention has been designed to handle pipe upwards of 30 feet, and withdiameters of 3-4 inches, weighing in the neighborhood of 500 pounds,although pipe of different diameters, lengths, and weights could beaccommodated.

The present invention is directed to a pipe handling apparatus whichincludes several principal components, which enable it to efficientlytransfer pipe from a pipe rack, advance the pipe to a drill rig and thenpresent one end of the pipe to the drill rig, at various drill rig floorheights. To this end, the principal components of the pipe handlingapparatus include an elongate, ground-mounted subframe or framestructure on which a power-driven carriage unit is mounted, selectivelyoperable for reciprocal shifting along the frame structure. A boom ismounted on the carriage unit and is operable for selected pivotalmovement relative to the carriage unit, about a generally horizontalpivot axis oriented transverse to the direction of reciprocal shiftingof the carriage unit, and an elongate pipe carrier is mounted on theboom dimensioned for receiving pipe so that the pipe's longitudinal axisis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the boom and thepipe carrier.

The pipe carrier is mounted on the boom and is operable for selectiverotation about a longitudinal axis parallel to the longitudinal axis ofthe boom to pick up pipe arranged on a pipe rack generally parallel tothe boom. The carriage is operable for delivering the pipe so that anend of the pipe is presented to a drill rig, where the pipe can then beoff loaded by a lifting device, such as a draw works. The end of thepipe presented to the drill rig can be raised to a preselected heightdetermined by the position in which the boom is pivoted relative to thecarriage. That is, if the pivotal movement of the boom is about a pivotaxis adjacent the front end of the boom, then the front end of the boomand correspondingly the pipe carrier is limited to the extent that itcan be pivoted above the ground. Conversely, if the pivot connection ofthe boom is positioned further, along the long axis of the boom, thenthe front of the boom and the front of the pipe carried on the pipecarrier can be presented to a drill rig floor at a greater height.

The present invention provides a pipe handling apparatus in which thepivot assembly is mounted to the carriage, and includes a sleeve,dimensioned to receive the boom. The sleeve includes a mechanism toclamp the sleeve to the boom, at a selected position along the length ofthe boom. Therefore, the boom can be pivoted about a selected pivot axisalong its longitudinal axis. The pivot axis of the pivot assemblyremains constant; it is the relative positioning of the boom within thesleeve which enables the boom to reach different elevations.

As shown in FIG. 1, which is a front slightly elevated view taken fromabove, the pipe handling apparatus of the present invention is generallyindicated at 10, and includes an elongate frame structure or subframewhich includes opposed, spaced-apart elongate members 12 and 14,interconnected by suitable structural cross members. A pipe carrier isgenerally indicated at 16, and includes spaced-apart elevator arms 18and 20 rigidly connected thereto and extending at an angle outwardlyfrom one side of the side of the pipe carrier and opposed elevator arms22 and 24 rigidly connected and extending outwardly at an angle from theother side of pipe carrier 16. The elevator arms are angled about 20°relative to the horizontal. As mentioned previously, the pipe carrier ismounted on a boom, which in turn is mounted on a pivot assembly, in turnmounted on a carriage. The carriage, partially shown in FIG. 1, isgenerally indicated at 26, and is power-driven for reciprocal shiftingalong the frame structure.

Also shown in FIG. 1 are interface arms, such as shown at 28 and 30,mounted to one side of the subframe and on the opposite side, interfacearms 32 and 34 are mounted. In the manner which will be described later,it will be seen that the interface arms are mounted on uprights; and canpivot about an associated horizontal axis, thereby to facilitate pick-upby the elevator arms onto the pipe carrier or, in an offloadingsequence, to facilitate the pipe being “kicked off.”

As shown in FIG. 2, pipe carrier 16 has been rotated about alongitudinal axis parallel to the boom, the latter of which is generallyindicated at 36. The elongate axis is defined by spaced-apart pivots 38and 40. As shown in FIG. 2A, pipe carrier 16 includes lugs 42 and 44which extend downwardly, and are connected by pins at 38 and 40 tobrackets 46 and 48, respectively. Bracket 46 is rigidly connected to thefront end of boom 36, and bracket 48 is connected to and extendsupwardly from a rear end of boom 36. Also shown in FIG. 2A is a firstactuator or elevator actuator generally indicated at 52, for pivotingpipe carrier 16 about the elongate pivot axis defined by pivots 38 and40. First actuator 52 includes a hydraulic cylinder 54 having one endthereof pivotally connected at 56 to brackets 58 which extend fromelevator arm 22. A rod 60 extending from cylinder 54 is pivotallyconnected at 62 to bracket 46. It will be recalled that bracket 46 isrigidly connected to an end of boom 36. Thus, upon extension orretraction of rod 60 by actuation of first actuator 52, pipe carrier 16and its associated elevator arms are rotated about the elongate axisextending between pivots 38 and 40.

Boom 36 is mounted onto carriage 26 and is selectively adjustable,longitudinally, relative to the carriage so that it can be pivoted atselected points along the boom's length. By providing different pivotpoints, the front end of the boom, and correspondingly the front end ofpipe carrier 16, may be positioned at different heights. This selectedpositioning of the boom enables pipe to be delivered to drill rigshaving different drill floor elevations. The construction of how boom 36is mounted to carriage 26, and is pivotal relative thereto, can beappreciated from viewing FIG. 7, which shows a structure for mountingboom 36 to the carriage which also enables selective pivoting of theboom, and this will be referred to as a pivot assembly, generallyindicated at 64. The pivot assembly includes a unit constructed with apair of opposed plates 66 and 68 (see FIG. 2A), interconnected by crossmembers 70 and 72. Each of the plates includes an upwardly extendinglug, such as lug 66 a extending upwardly from plate 66, as shown inFIGS. 2A and 7. The lugs are suitably interconnected to uprights, suchas shown at 74 and 76 by a pin connection indicated at 78, the sameconstruction being on the opposite side of the view shown in FIG. 7. Thepin connections, one of which is indicated at 78, are aligned to definea pivot axis, which is the axis that the boom will be pivoted about aswill be explained.

As shown in FIG. 7, pivot assembly 64 includes a tubular sleeve 80 whichis welded or otherwise rigidly connected to cross members 70 and 72. Asshown in FIG. 7, the left end of sleeve 80 is indicated at 80 a and theright end at 80 b, and it is to be understood that boom 36 may beselectively shifted within sleeve 80 and securely affixed thereto bymeans of clamps 82 and 84.

A second actuator mechanism, generally indicated at 86, includes ahydraulic cylinder 88 having one end mounted beneath member 27 and isoperable for extending and retracting a rod 90, which in turn ispivotally connected at 92 by a pin to sleeve 80. Thus it can be seenthat upon retraction of rod 90, the tail end of boom 36 will be pivoteddownwardly about pivot axis 78, and the front end of boom 36 will beraised along with a corresponding raising of the nose end of pipecarrier 16. Likewise, if cylinder 90 is extended, it will pivot boom 36about pivot axis 78, in a clockwise direction in the configuration shownin FIG. 7. FIG. 8 is another view of the components which have beendiscussed, and shows that pipe carrier 16 extends forwardly of boom 36,and as mentioned previously, boom 36 is rigidly connected to brackets 46and 47.

FIG. 9 shows boom 36 extended forwardly through sleeve 80, in fact toits furthest forward position, so that the sleeve almost abuts bracket48. In this configuration, which is contemplated for operation in thehigh configuration cycle, retraction of rod 90 will pivot the front endof boom 36 upwardly and correspondingly the nose of pipe carrier 16 toits greatest elevation, which here will be approximately 15 to 16 feet,as that is the design of this system. It will be noted that limit pin 92has been placed in the rearward most one of the apertures in plate 66,therefore limiting the maximum height to which the second actuator canpivot boom 36 about pivot axis 78.

Interaction of Elevator Arms and Interface Arms

Attention is now directed to FIGS. 10-15, with initial consideration ofFIG. 10 which shows how pipe carrier 16 may be pivoted in a firstdirection about the longitudinal axis defined by pivot axes 38 and 40(see FIG. 2). Pipe, shown to the right, has previously been loaded ontoa pipe rack, and it is desired to load that pipe onto pipe carrier 16.Orientation of the elevator arms, in combination with orientation of theinterface rails, permits a single pipe at a time to be rolled by aworker along the pipe rack, onto the interface rails where the pipe ismomentarily detained prior to be picked up by the elevator arms. Asshown in FIG. 10, which is a view from the rear, the first actuator hasbeen operated to move pipe carrier 16 in the clockwise direction, sothat elevator aims 18 and 20, with their associated retainers, which maybe hooks, 18 a and 18 b, respectively, are positioned beneath a portionof the upper surface or edge of interface rails 28, 30 respectively.Next, as shown in FIG. 11, a worker rolls a pipe from the pipe rackalong the upper surface of the interface rails until the pipe engagesthe hook portion on each of the interface rails. This is essentially theposition shown in FIG. 12, which is a view taken from the front of theapparatus. Pipe P1 has been rolled into position along the upper surfaceof the interface rails until it engages the hooks on the interfacerails, and now first actuator 52 is operated to rotate pipe carrier 16in the opposite or second direction so that the upper surface of theelevator arms engages the pipe and causes it to roll away from the hookportion of the pipe and eventually engage the hook portion of theelevator arms. FIG. 12 is shown just prior to the elevator arms beingrotated so as to “pick-up” the pipe, and FIG. 13 shows this sameposition, where the hook on the elevator arms are about to engage thepipe.

As shown in FIG. 14, elevator arms 18, 20 have picked up the pipe frominterface rails 28 and 30 and further operation of the first actuatorwill rotate pipe carrier 16 eventually to its neutral position, andduring that rotational movement, the pipe will roll down along the uppersurfaces of elevator arms 18, 20 and into the elongate tray or troughportion of the pipe carrier. As shown in FIG. 15, pipe carrier 16 hasbeen rotated by the first actuator into its neutral position, and withboom 36 mounted in the pivot assembly for the low configuration cycle,the apparatus is now in position for transferring the pipe to a drillrig, and in particular a drill rig having a drill floor at ground levelor relatively low level, for example 5 feet.

The height of the pipe carrier, when in its neutral position, isapproximately 5 feet. That dimension has been selected because a workerwho will be attaching a lifting device to the pipe can work on theground comfortably by reaching with the hands to attach the liftingdevice to the end of the pipe. FIG. 16 shows offloading of pipe on theother side, for example, after pipe has been offloaded from a drill rig.Essentially the opposite procedure will take place, but the interfacearms, as shown in FIG. 16, are angled to permit pipe to roll toward anadjacent pipe rack.

The method and apparatus of the present invention will be described withrespect to FIGS. 3, 3A, 4 and 4A, which illustrate the method ofoperation of the pipe handling apparatus in picking up pipe from a piperack and delivering it to a drill rig which has a floor of lowelevation, say in the range of 5 feet. A description will also be setforth of the so-called high configuration cycle and FIGS. 5, 5A, 6 and6A illustrate operation in this mode. Each of the cycles will be firstdescribed with respect to delivering pipe from a pipe rack to a drillrig and then laying down pipe from a drill rig and returning it to apipe rack.

Low Configuration Cycle Delivering Pipe from Pipe Rack to Drill Rig

As shown in FIG. 1, apparatus 10 has been arranged with boom 36positioned fully retracted within sleeve 80 of pivot assembly 64, andthe sleeve is fixed to boom 36 at a forward end thereof. Pipe carrier 16mounted on top of boom 36 is oriented to its neutral position, as shownin FIG. 3.

Carriage 26 is retracted to a position, again as shown in FIG. 3, wherepipe carrier 16 is generally parallel to a loaded pipe rack, and thefirst actuator is operated to rotate pipe carrier 16 in a firstdirection about a longitudinal axis relative to boom 36 so that a hookon each of the spaced-apart elevator arms, such as elevator arms 18 and20 are positioned beneath interface arms 28, 30, respectively, now in aposition to receive pipe from the pipe rack.

A pipe is then rolled from the pipe rack onto interface arms 28 and 30,and pipe carrier 16 is rotated in a second direction about itslongitudinal axis by elevator cylinder 54 so that the pipe engages hooks18 a and 20 a of elevator arms 18 and 20 and is picked off the interfacearms 28 and 30.

The pipe carrier is further rotated in the second direction, so that thepipe disengages from the hooks to roll downwardly along upper surfacesof elevator arms 28 and 30 onto central portion 16 a of the pipecarrier, which is finally returned to its neutral position.

Carriage 26 is advanced to present the front end of both the pipecarrier and the pipe to the drill rig. The lifting device from the drillrig is attached to a front end of the pipe, and is actuated to raise thepipe upwardly so that its rear end is dragged along pipe carrier 16toward the drill rig until the pipe is raised to a substantiallyvertical position. The pipe is lifted away from the pipe carrier andinto the drill rig. Carriage 26 is retracted to position it once againadjacent the pipe rack, and the process is repeated to deliver pipe tothe drill rig as requirements dictate.

Laying Down Pipe from Drill Rig to Pipe Rack

Carriage 26 is advanced to a position adjacent the drill rig, and pipeto be removed from the drill rig is lifted by the lifting device andsuspended to a position where a bottom end of the pipe is placed on thefront portion of the pipe carrier, which is maintained in its neutralposition. The rear end of boom 36 is pivoted downwardly about itsconnection to the carriage, so that a front end of boom 36 and pipecarrier 16 are raised, and the lifting device is actuated to lower thepipe continuously so that its rear end slides downwardly and rearwardlyalong inclined pipe carrier 16 until the rear end of the pipe engagesstop 19 at the end of the pipe carrier.

The rear end of boom 36 is pivoted upwardly until both it and pipecarrier 16 are horizontal, and the lifting device lowers the pipe to layit completely onto pipe carrier 16.

The lifting device is detached from the pipe, and carriage 16 isretracted to position the pipe and pipe carrier 16 adjacent a pipe rackfor receiving the pipe. In the drawing of FIG. 3, another pipe rack forreceiving pipe is shown at 102.

Elevator cylinder 54 is actuated to rotate pipe carrier 16 and elevatorarms 22 and 24 so that the pipe rolls down the upper surface of elevatorarms and across interface arms 22 and 24 and is laid onto pipe rack 102.

The elevator cylinder is then actuated to return pipe carrier 16 to itsneutral position, and the carriage is extended so that the front end ofboth the boom tube and the 15 pipe carrier are presented to the drillrig, and the process is repeated to remove pipe from the drill rig asrequirements dictate.

High Configuration Cycle

The method of operation is essentially the same as outlined above forthe low configuration cycle, except that boom 36 must be adjustedincrementally within sleeve 80 so that the sleeve is fixed more rearwardon boom 36, depending on the height of the drill rig floor. That is,sleeve 80 will be positioned more toward the rear on boom 36 as thedrill rig floor raises in height from 5 feet to 10 feet, and from 10feet to 15 feet, and so on. The pivot axis of the pivot assemblytherefore will be at a point more toward the rear of the boom. Theapparatus and method have been designed to reach successively higherdrill rig floors. In the example given here, FIGS. 5, 5A, 6 and 6Aillustrate how the pipe handling apparatus is operated in the highconfiguration cycle.

Delivering Pipe from Pipe Rack to Drill Rig

The boom is adjusted within sleeve 80 of the pivot assembly and is fixedto boom 36 at a position preselected so that the boom and pipe carriercan be elevated to enable the end of a pipe to be presented to theelevation of a drill rig floor. Pipe carrier 16 mounted on top of boom36 is oriented in its neutral position. Carriage 26 is retracted to aposition where pipe carrier 16 is generally parallel to a loaded piperack, such as pipe rack 100, and elevator cylinder 54 is actuated torotate pipe carrier 16 in a first direction about a longitudinal axisrelative to the boom so that hooks 18 a and 20 a on elevator arms 18 and20, respectively, are positioned beneath interface arms 28 and 30 in aposition to receive pipe from pipe rack 100.

A pipe is rolled from the pipe rack onto interface arms 28 and 30, andpipe carrier 16 is rotated in a second direction about a longitudinalaxis by elevator cylinder 54 so that the pipe engages hooks 18 a and 20a and is picked off the interface arms.

The pipe carrier is further rotated in the second direction, so that thepipe disengages from hooks 18 a and 20 a to roll downwardly along theupper surfaces of elevator arms 18 and 20 onto the central portion ofpipe carrier 16, which is finally returned to its neutral position.

The carriage is then advanced, while the rear end of boom 36 is pivoteddownwardly by cylinder 88 about its connection to carriage 26 to elevateboth the front end of boom 36 and carrier 16 to present the pipe to thedrill rig. Pivoting downwardly of the boom 36 can occur prior to, orsimultaneously with, advancement of carriage 26.

The lifting device from the drill rig is attached to the front end ofthe pipe and actuated to raise pipe upwardly so that its trailing end isdragged upwardly along pipe carrier 16 toward the drill rig until thepipe is raised to a substantially vertical position adjacent the frontend of pipe carrier 16, adjacent the drill rig floor. The pipe is thenlifted away from pipe carrier 16 and into the drill rig.

Next, carriage 26 is retracted while the rear end of boom 36 issimultaneously pivoted upwardly until boom 36 and pipe carrier 16 arehorizontally positioned, and carriage 26 is further moved to position itadjacent pipe rack 100, and the process is repeated to deliver pipe tothe drill rig as requirements dictate.

Laying Down Pipe from Drill Rig to Pipe Rack

Carriage 26 is advanced, while the rear end of boom 36 simultaneously ispivoted downwardly about pivot axis 78 so that the front end of bothboom 36 and pipe carrier 16 are raised and presented to the drill rig,and pipe to be removed from the drill rig is lifted by the liftingdevice and suspended so that a bottom end of the pipe is placed on thefront portion of pipe carrier 16.

The lifting device is actuated to lower the pipe continuously enablingits rear end to slide downwardly and rearwardly along inclined pipecarrier 16 until the rear end of the pipe engages stop 19 at the end ofpipe carrier 16. The lifting device continues to lower the pipe until itrests fully on pipe carrier 16, and the lifting device is detached fromthe pipe.

Carriage 26 is then retracted and the rear end of boom 36 simultaneouslyis pivoted upwardly until boom 36 and pipe carrier 16 are positionedhorizontally, and carriage 26 is moved to a position adjacent a piperack, such as pipe rack 102 for receiving the pipe.

Elevator cylinder 54 is actuated to rotate pipe carrier 16 and elevatorarms 22 and 24 so that the pipe rolls down the elevator arms and is laidonto the pipe rack.

Elevator cylinder 54 is then actuated to return pipe carrier 16 to itsneutral position, and carriage 26 is advanced while the rear end of boom36 simultaneously is pivoted downwardly about pivot axis 78 so that thefront end of both boom 36 and pipe carrier 16 are raised and presentedto the drill rig, and the process is repeated to remove pipe from thedrill rig as requirements dictate.

1. Apparatus for handling pipe comprising: an elongate frame structurefor mounting on a ground surface; a carriage unit mounted on the framestructure selectively operable for reciprocal shifting along the framestructure; a boom member mounted on the carriage unit operable forselective pivotal movement relative to the carriage unit, in a planegenerally parallel to the boom member's longitudinal axis, about agenerally horizontal pivot axis oriented transverse to the direction ofshifting of the carriage unit along the frame structure; and an elongatepipe carrier mounted on the boom member dimensioned for receiving pipeso that the pipe's longitudinal axis is substantially parallel to thelongitudinal axes of the boom member and the pipe carrier, wherein thepipe carrier is operable for selective pivotal movement about itslongitudinal axis.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 further including a firstactuator mechanism mounted on the carriage unit selectively operable forpivoting the pivot assembly and the boom member about the pivot axis. 3.The apparatus of claim 2 further including a second actuator mechanismmounted on the boom member selectively operable for pivoting the pipecarrier about its longitudinal axis relative to the boom member.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 3 wherein spaced-apart arms are mounted on the pipecarrier extending at an angle outwardly from one side thereof forreceiving pipe from a pipe rack or the like.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4wherein the spaced-apart arms are provided with retainers for engagingpipe as it initially is removed from a pipe rack.
 6. Apparatus fortransferring pipe from a first station and presenting it to an elevatedsecond station, comprising: an elongate frame structure for mounting ona ground surface; a carriage unit mounted on the frame structureselectively operable for reciprocal shifting along the frame structure;a boom member mounted on the carriage unit operable for selectivepivotal movement relative to the carriage unit, in a plane generallyparallel to the boom member's longitudinal axis, about a pivot axisgenerally oriented horizontally and transverse to the direction ofshifting of the carriage unit along the frame structure; and an elongatepipe carrier mounted on the boom member dimensioned for receiving pipeso that the pipe's longitudinal axis is substantially parallel to thelongitudinal axes of the boom member and the pipe carrier; arm membersrigidly mounted on and extending laterally from opposite sides of thepipe carrier; a first actuator mechanism mounted on the carriage unitselectively operable for pivoting the boom member and the pipe carrierabout the pivot axis from a substantially horizontal position to aselected inclined position; a second actuator mechanism mounted on theboom member selectively operable for pivoting the pipe carrier about itslongitudinal axis relative to the boom member in a first direction sothat pipe from a first station may engage the arm members on one side ofthe pipe carrier, the second actuator mechanism operable for pivotingthe pipe carrier in a second direction to permit pipe to roll onto thepipe carrier; and power-driven means mounted on the frame structureselectively operable for advancing the carriage unit from the firststation to a position adjacent the second station, wherein the firstactuator mechanism can be operated to pivot the boom member to inclineit upwardly, thereby presenting a forward end of the pipe to the secondstation, and for retracting the carriage unit from a position adjacentthe second station to a position adjacent the first station.